52 – Nameless Extra (1)
Sometimes the dry world reorganizes itself as it pleases. They somehow cover the virgin blood that bursts from the sky pierced by the crescent moon with starlight, moisten the parched ground, and pretend to be pure virgins. Of course, even if you dig a little deeper, the scars of the past are clearly revealed, so it is nothing more than a useless struggle.
But today, the whole world was filled with excitement as if none of that mattered. Even the commoners’ dormitory, which was stained with pessimism and frustration, had a different atmosphere today. It was filled with beautifully dressed students and their voices chattering among themselves, so much so that I could even feel my heart pounding.
Of course, I had no intention of adding cynicism about it. Because today I am in the same situation as them.
“Umm…”
I carefully smoothed my stiff hair. The hair done by someone else felt like it belonged to someone else, not my body. Actually, not just the hair, but the face. Clothes. Even socks. It felt so awkward to see myself beautifully decorated like a bride in red.
Anyway, is this really decorated really nicely? As I have no sense of beauty, I had no choice but to follow what the expert told me. Even I feel uneasy because Illya introduced it to me.
Well, it didn’t seem that bad. Although it was completely different from my usual self, it was also proof that I had gotten better. From the occasional glances from passing girls, it didn’t seem that bad. I’d like to ask a random person, but that would be a bit rude.
…
Actually, there is someone else I want to ask.
I sighed softly and remembered the girl. Probably, I came dressed up more prettier than usual today. A glimmer of anticipation slowly filled my heart.
But missing someone who is not by my side did not help much with my mental health. Especially if there is someone else in the place where that person should be. I twitched my lips in dissatisfaction and looked at the girl standing next to me.
“…What are you looking at?”
As soon as my eyes turned, a sharp answer came out. After revealing her true self, Elise no longer played the sweet Dandelion Girl. Where her kind smile disappeared, only cold cynicism remained like soot.
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s nothing. Is it because you couldn’t come with Yuna? Well, you’re probably worried. Don’t you think?”
“Yes. I’m worried.”
“You…”
Elise trailed off at the end of her sentence, perhaps surprised by my honesty. But she soon pushed up the corner of her mouth and asked with a frown.
“Anyway, are you feeling uneasy inside? Do you think your woman is with another man?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t act indifferent. You can see it on your face, right? But you were destined to never be Yuna’s partner from the beginning. In that strict Richmond family, you would have dared to watch a commoner become a partner at the Academy Ball. Do you think that’s possible? It can’t be.”
“But isn’t that the same for you? There’s no way the imperial family would have let you become the crown prince’s partner.”
“… That’s right. That’s why I’m taking you with me.”
“And that’s to arouse the crown prince’s jealousy?”
When the story of the crown prince came up, Elise’s expression hardened slightly. The sound of teeth grinding rang softly.
“I said it that way so you, idiot, could understand. No, you can just think of it that way. There’s no big difference.”
“Then what should I do? Should I pretend to be my lover?”
“I’ll take care of it, so all you have to do is follow it. All you have to do is act like it’s my jewelry and let it go well with you.”
Elise’s hand grasped my wrist tightly like a snake. She put her face close to me and spoke in a whisper.
“You know. You’d better follow what I say. If I don’t make the Crown Prince fall in love with me again by tonight, I don’t know what he will do to Yuna. Maybe even Miss Yuna will change her mind when she sees the Crown Prince. To be honest, I don’t know. “Don’t you think it would be better for Miss Yuna to choose the crown prince over you, who has nothing?”
“Well.”
“Don’t act calm. I told you last time. I know how you feel. I’m sure you have anxiety that you might lose someone who is too much for you at any time. Right?”
I see…
…
Elise spoke so seriously that she tried to think about it even a little, but she couldn’t. Therefore, I immediately shrugged her shoulders and answered honestly.
“Hmm… I guess not?”
“What?”
“Because. Yuna truly likes me. She brags differently than you and the Hwangtae.”
“…”
Elise was unable to continue her words and stared at me. Then she twisted her lips and jerked her head.
“Ah, okay. I understand. I understand, so act properly. Anyway, you are the one who accepted. Make sure you don’t get in trouble from me.”
“Ah, about that.”
“Don’t talk back, just…Ugh!”
As she tried to push me again, she bumped her shoulder against someone and let out a weak moan. It seemed like we hit each other pretty roughly, but the other person jumped in front of us without even a word of apology. Then, rudely, he looked at us and tapped his temple with his finger.
“What…”
“hahahaha…”
Elise might have taken it as a rude gesture, but I knew what it meant, so she just laughed. That was another name for me in sign language.
‘Ellen.’
“Hey.”
“What? You’re going to the prom too…What are you doing now?”
The moment Elise was about to say something to Illya, the deaf elf naturally came close to me and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. Then Elise frowned and barely got her words out.
“What the hell is it, Ellen?”
“I have a slightly different plan than you.”
Only then did a smile come to my face. Before Elise could express her doubts, I hugged her by the shoulders.
“What are you doing now…!”
“Shh.”
I smiled leisurely and put my hand to my mouth. Illya also joined me with a wicked smile. I looked at Elise’s face, which was dripping with embarrassment, and blurted out her words.
“Shall we begin, Elise?”
“What are you doing now, Ellen?”
If we love each other, will we become alike? Claes asked the same question as Elise. I answered leisurely, looking at Yuna, who quickly blushed even during the brief kiss.
“I just said hello. Isn’t this what you usually do when you meet someone you’re happy with? Oh, look at me. I should have introduced myself first. This is Elise. We know each other well, right? And this is Illya. The only person at our academy. Elf international student. And this one…”
When I glanced at her, Guerro met her eyes with a very casual expression. I pushed her shoulder away and spoke lightly.
“This is Guero. Don’t worry. He came today to work as a ballroom maid. Well, thank you for showing me around, Guero. This is a tip.”
I calmly took out a fake check from my pocket and stuffed it between Guero’s chest. She looked at me with an expression as if she wanted to say something, then gritted her teeth and lowered her head.
“Thank you, Ellen.”
“Then go back to your seat. I’ll call you if I have anything to do.”
“…Yes.”
It was clear that I would get hit later, but it still seemed effective enough. Claes’ voice of astonishment flowed through the sound of Guero’s footsteps moving away.
“What are you…”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just a girl you know. We’re just hanging out like we normally do, so don’t make it too uncomfortable. Right, right?”
“…!”
When I tilted my head mischievously, Illya nodded her head approvingly. And Claes looked very displeased, just as I had hoped. It was obvious how the image of me was forming in his mind.
“Well, Yuna knows me very well, so there’s no need to introduce her, Claes. Anyway, this is surprising. I never thought you’d come with me.”
“…Miss Yuna is the daughter of a loyal duke who supports our imperial family. She cannot remain in an uncomfortable relationship forever.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I was surprised that you didn’t come with Elise. I thought you two were quite close.”
“That’s…”
“But I guess we weren’t as close as I thought? Judging by the fact that he accepted right away when I suggested it.”
“What?”
“What? That…That’s not…”
At my words, Claes expressed doubt and Elise expressed astonishment. At that moment, I deliberately frowned and whispered something in Elise’s ear.
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“Let’s do it like that. Do you understand?”
“Ah…”
Elise hesitated for a moment at my words, but then she lowered her head and acted dejected. And she cleverly looked up at the crown prince with somewhat sad eyes. As expected, it seemed that the second place position at the Academy was not for everyone.
“…”
With just a quick glance, I could tell that many doubts were passing through the crown prince’s eyes. What on earth did that bastard do to Elise? Such questions seemed to be rising rapidly, riding on her imagination. Of course, it was just a suspicion, but that was enough for now.
“Okay then, shall we go in, ladies? Why don’t you go with Claes too? We’ve already met.”
I calmly presented the proposal. And Claes looked at Elise and me alternately and nodded her head.
“Yes.”
“Okay. Then let’s go, Elise.”
Unlike the brilliant Elise and Illya, our crown prince was very pure. While walking ahead, I glanced back and saw that he was following me, looking only at me, as if he didn’t even have time to hold hands with Yuna. Without even having time to feel joy at that fact, I took a deep breath and looked back at Illya.
“…”
Illya also looked at me with a keen sense of humor. Claes still seemed to be listening to me, but luckily I didn’t have to verbally communicate with Ilya. I sent sign language by moving his hand little by little so that he couldn’t see it.
‘What do you think?’
‘Complete. Bully. Same.’
‘Elise?’
‘Unconditionally. Victim.’
‘What about Yuna?’
‘Not yet. Lack.’
‘Yes.’
“…Let’s sit here, Miss Yuna.”
The short strategy meeting ended with a word from Claes. I naturally sat down next to him, and although Claes showed signs of discomfort, he did not refuse. There are probably so many things you want to find out from me.
Once the crown prince took his seat, the full-fledged party began with that signal. Food that had never been seen before was filled among the servants moving like waves, and music prepared by the Academy rang softly. Some students were already talking excitedly among themselves, mesmerized by the gorgeous lights and atmosphere.
But the crown prince kept looking at me and Elise as if he was okay with such things. Not only the prom, but even Miss Yuna seemed to be out of his focus. As expected, this is a prince who grew up well-fed. As someone who was momentarily distracted by the steak served in front of him, I was amazed.
…To be honest, the juiciness of the steak still lingered in my eyes. If you put that soft meat in your mouth, the sweet sauce and meat juice will moisten your dry throat. Fortunately, Ilya pinched my thigh appropriately, and I turned my head with difficulty, swallowing the saliva that flowed instead of the juice. And this time, I checked Yuna’s condition.
“…”
Contrary to her expectations, Yuna showed surprising self-control and was looking directly at her with a stern expression. Her attitude was as if she was blocked from this side by an invisible wall.
But, as if she couldn’t help but be curious, she subtly turned her eyes to see what I was thinking. Then, every once in a while, when I met her eyes, she would get startled and look directly at me again, but soon she would slowly turn her eyes and stare at my face.
When she saw that, her playfulness soared unbearably. In the end, I couldn’t suppress my desire and quietly placed my hand on the back of Elise’s neck.
“How are you? Are you having fun, Elise?”
“Huh…?”
“…!”
“…!!”
At that moment, a crack appeared in the expressions of both people at the same time. Of course, it was Yuna whose expression was more downcast. I tried to suppress my laughter and gently brushed Elise’s hair.
“Are you enjoying it?”
“Uh…Yes. Thanks.”
“Of course it is. Still, I’m glad to hear that.”
“…!!”
“…!!!”
This time, clear anger appeared on the faces of the two people. It’s been a long time since I saw Yuna’s face turn red with anger rather than embarrassment.
‘Complete. An adulterous man.’
‘Huh?’
‘Nothing. No.’
In the meantime, Iria sent sign language again. She quickly looked around at her surroundings and delivered her message once again.
‘Slowly. Come out.’
‘Yes.’
Once she gave me permission, I stood up without hesitation. And then he calmly opened his mouth.
“But it’s boring to just look at the same scenery. Elise, come here. Do you two want to hang out for a while? I’ll come back and see a different scenery for a while.”
“Ah…Yeah. I understand.”
“Okay then. Ah, Claes. Excuse me for a moment.”
I intentionally bumped into myself and passed him. Even as he glared at me, he seemed to be busy interpreting what it meant to see the scenery.
And it was the same for Yuna. I passed by her, making eye contact with her. I hoped that alone would be enough of a signal.
“Over there…”
When I got quite far away from the spot, I heard Yuna’s voice through the noise around me. I smiled as I listened to her next words.
“Claes. I’m going to go to the bathroom for a moment.”